The Best of Times
by RadioactivCharmander
Summary: Loosely inspired by the Dream Theater song "The Best of Times". After the group parts ways in Gotta Catch Ya Later, Ash reflects on the ups and downs of his Pokémon journey, and the amazing people he met along the way. AAML, Pokeshipping


**Hello! This is my first fanfic, so please feel free to drop in a review however positive or negative it may be (although in truth I'd prefer it be positive). Enjoy!**

Just to clear something up: Ash is 15 in this story, in case you were wondering. This explains why he's so OOC in this story.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokemon. You'd know by now if I did, because Pokeshipping would have happened a long time ago...

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><p><span>The Best of Times<span>

Ash certainly did not expect to be back here so soon. After so many adventures across numerous regions all around the world; after gaining so many new friends and catching so many new Pokémon, he suddenly found himself returning to his small, rural hometown of Pallet as if none of it ever happened. He stopped when he reached the top of a large hill and looked down on the entirety of his hometown bathed in a burnt orange glow, his faithful companion Pikachu resting on his shoulder.

He had always thought that Pallet Town was far too good to be true; how everyone accorded each other with the utmost respect all of the time, and how the landscape seemed to be virtually untouched by any sort of urbanisation, creating a tranquil, serene atmosphere. It was like the typical setting of a children's storybook, apathetically carrying the label, 'nothing can possibly go wrong'. The only glimmer of anything remotely modern in this town was Professor Oak's lab, and even that had been there since before Ash could remember. The thing that he found the most unbearable about his hometown, however, was the fact that everyone seemed to be constantly optimistic – something that, at this present time, Ash wasn't.

He took in a large breath of clear Pallet Town air before turning to the electric rodent resting on his right shoulder.

"I guess we should head home now, Pikachu."

Pikachu responded with an enthusiastic cry of "Pika!" and hopped onto his favourite spot on his trainer's head.

With that, Ash began to trudge slowly down the hill towards the Ketchum residence, preparing himself to encounter the epicentre of unnecessary optimism – Delia Ketchum. Not that he didn't want to see his mother again; after all it had been two years since he had seen her in person, but after the events that had occurred mere hours ago, after watching _her_ ride off into the sunset, he wasn't sure if he could handle her level of constant cheerfulness right now.

Upon reaching his house, he stopped and surveyed the surroundings again, sighing deeply. This was another reason he hated coming home. Everything about Pallet Town was riddled with memories of his childhood, from digging in the back garden for Kabuto fossils with his father over ten years ago all the way up to the start of his Pokémon journey at the age of ten. Coincidentally, a large proportion of these memories happened to involve _her_, which didn't help his current situation. He now was struggling to find any memories that _weren't_ about _her_; now that he thought about it, they were practically inseparable. Everywhere he turned he was reminded of something he did from a bygone time, with friends or family he had long since said goodbye to, and the feeling of knowing that these great times had passed was excruciating.

He was jarred from his thoughts when the door suddenly opened, revealing none other than Delia Ketchum, beaming ecstatically. Beside her stood Professor Oak, Tracey and Mimey, her Mr. Mime, wearing an apron and holding a dustpan and brush. Ash groaned inwardly – he had anticipated that his mother would invite the whole motley crew over to celebrate his return. Unfortunately for them, celebrating was the last thing on Ash's mind.

"Oh, you're here! How are you, sweetie?" Delia squealed as Pikachu leapt from Ash's shoulder into her arms, "How's my favourite little Pokémon in the whole world?"

"Same old, same old", Ash muttered to himself sweatdropping, although Delia heard him and looked up from petting Pikachu.

"Oh, it's nice to see you too, Ash."

Ash fell over anime-style, resulting in Tracey proceeding to drag him into the house by his feet.

Once inside the house, he walked into the living room, taking in the familiar scent that he had missed in the two years he had not been here. He sat opposite Delia and Professor Oak, while Tracey sat beside him on the sofa. Pikachu, still in Delia's firm clutches, squirmed a bit before managing to wriggle out of her grasp and rejoin his trainer.

"So, Ash," Delia started, still wearing her over-perky expression, "firstly, congratulations in the Johto League."

Ash sat bolt upright suddenly. He certainly wasn't expecting that.

"What do you mean?" he asked, "I lost."

"Oh come on, Ash, you defeated Gary's Blastoise with a Charizard, for Mew's sake!" Tracey exclaimed, "How many people could have done that?"

Ash scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Even he had to admit that his battling technique during the Silver Conference was impressive. The stadium was overflowing with anxious spectators, their eyes fixated on the enormous battle arena as they watched Ash's Charizard deliver the final blow to Gary's Blastoise earning him a place in the final eight of the League. The feeling was glorious, Ash remembered, but at this precise moment he couldn't seem to re-enact the feeling of triumph and success that he had had on that day. Memories of _her_ still plagued his mind, taunting him. It was then that Tracey spoke up again.

"Brock called me yesterday and told me he had to go back to the gym. But what about Misty? Has she gone home too?"

Ash froze. Memories of the events of the day poured into his head, reminding him of the pain and hurt he endured watching his two best friends of five years walking away from him, just two small dots on the horizon. He suddenly stood up, causing everyone to turn and look at him.

"Err…thanks everyone for coming to see me, but I'm kinda tired, so I guess I'm gonna get some sleep now."

"But Ash, you just got here!" Delia said.

"I've been travelling all day, Mom." This wasn't strictly true, however. Since Ash had run the entire way home due to his distress, a journey that would normally have lasted a whole day took him only three hours. At any other point in his Pokémon journey, Ash would have regarded this as quite an accomplishment, but at this present time, his mind was on other things – much more important things.

"Okay, Ash, but just remember to change your you-know-whats!"

Ash hadn't heard her, however, and was slowly making his way up the stairs, his head hanging low. For the first time since Ash had returned, Delia stopped smiling and was now wearing a very worried expression.

"He looks so sad," she said as he disappeared from her view, "I wonder what's got into him."

"I think I know," Tracey murmured, also adopting the same pained expression. He'd seen that look in his eyes numerous times before, and they all seemed to be in some way connected to _her_…

Ash ambled up the stairs and crashed into his bedroom, locking the door behind him. All he wanted to do now was be alone. Maybe going to sleep wasn't such a bad idea after all. Turning around to see his old room, he suddenly felt a wave of nostalgia engulf him.

As he scanned the contents of the room, he absentmindedly started to connect an individual memory to almost every object in the room. He walked further in, only to feel a stronger sense of reminiscence wash over him. He noticed the Voltorb alarm clock that he had accidently smashed on the first day of his journey, resulting in him showing up late to Professor Oak's lab, and this was how he obtained his first Pokémon – the same Pokémon who at the moment was busy ransacking Ash's chest of drawers looking for packets of ketchup.

Another thing that caught his eye was the trophy he had won for becoming the Orange League champion. Ash sighed. This was the only tournament he'd ever won, and the closest he'd ever come to gaining some recognition by the Elite Four. However, it was only after this that he found out that the Orange League was not credited as an official League tournament, which left him feeling rather defeated. In fact, the only one who seemed to care about his victory in the Orange Islands was _her_, which, at the moment, he wasn't very thankful of.

Ash plopped down on his bed and removed his Pokémon League cap. It was at this point that he realised how much he had grown during his journey, as his hat was starting to feel a little too small, and his feet dangled over the end of his bed. He turned onto his side, tucking his legs in, and as he turned his head around, he noticed a sizable pile of photographs lying on his bedside table. Curious, he sat up and grabbed the pile of photos, instantly starting to flick through them. They were all from the first year of his journey, and as he progressed through, it became evident that it was Brock who had taken most of them, although he suspected that the slightly less blurry ones were taken by Todd.

After a few minutes of searching, he finally found the photo he was looking for. In the photo were two people around age twelve, a boy and girl, their arms round each other in a loose, casual embrace. The boy had raven black hair and chocolate brown eyes, and his first Pokémon, a Pikachu, was perched on top of his infamous red and white cap. The girl had short orange hair tied into a ponytail on the left side of her head, and her bright teal eyes were sparkling with excitement as she gripped the arm of the trainer beside her. The photo was taken in front of Professor Oak's lab, and a large group of Pokémon surrounded the two Pokémon trainers, smiling and sniggering knowingly at the camera.

Turning the photo over, Ash discovered a caption on the back, presumably written by Brock, which read:

_Ash and Misty at the Professor's – Awwwww!_

Ash felt his cheeks heat up upon seeing this, and contrary to his normal reaction, he did nothing to cover it up.

_What's the point in hiding it now?_ He thought bitterly as he fought back the tears that threatened to fall, _she's gone now; I've failed._

Fighting the urge to break down in tears, he slammed down the packet of photos on his desk and walked over to the window, observing the view of the town a second time. Although it was now around 10pm, the sunset was still as apparent and radiant as it had been when he had been forced to part ways with his two closest friends. His mother had always told him when he was a child that the Pallet Town sunset was magical and that sometimes Ho-oh would fly by, upon which you were able make a wish, but now all it seemed to be doing was mocking him, reminding him of what he failed to do, what he failed to tell Misty before she left…

He remembered some of the last words she spoke to him before they parted ways:

"_Are you sure you'll be okay without me, Ash?"_

Oh, how he wished he could have screamed it at her then; that he would never be okay again without her by his side, cheering him on, being a shoulder to cry on, and generally making him feel a whole lot better all of the time. Her presence always seemed to soothe him – he even started to enjoy their arguments after a while. Brock would always laugh after breaking them up saying that it was just 'sexual tension'. At the time, Ash would have vehemently denied this, although as he pondered this now, perhaps Brock was right all along.

He thought about Brock, and how he had suddenly 'remembered' that he also had to leave the group on a count of running errands at the gym – errands that couldn't have _possibly_ waited until the next month, or even the next day, when he wouldn't have to balance the loss of one friend with the loss of another at the same time.

He couldn't help but feel angry at Brock for announcing his departure _right in the middle_ of his and Misty's 'final heart-to-heart conversation', spoiling the moment completely. Brock had come and gone a number of times, so naturally Ash was partially prepared for the day that the older Pokémon breeder had to go his own separate way, but Misty's departure completely took him by surprise. She had always been there right by his side, present through every adventure he had ever been on. And right now, he wasn't sure if he could go on without her.

Pikachu, having finished his search for ketchup, noticed Ash's distress and bounded up to the windowsill, his head cocked slightly to the side when he noticed his master's vacant expression.

"Pi chu pika Pikachupi?" He asked, although he already knew the answer. Ash looked down at the yellow mouse and petted him gently.

"Yeah, I'm fine, buddy, it's just I…I love her so much."

Ash shivered slightly, a fresh blush reaching his cheeks. He still wasn't completely accustomed to using the 'L' word to describe his feelings towards the red-headed Gym Leader, but he was in no doubt that this was exactly what it was. He had lost count of the amount of times he had tried to force himself to think otherwise, but eventually his heart prevailed over his head, telling him that he, Ash Ketchum, loved Misty Waterflower more than anything else in the world.

"Pikapi chu Pikachupi pika chu," Pikachu said, which Ash roughly translated to "You should tell Misty how you feel, Ash." Upon hearing this, Ash banged his head hard on the opposite wall and turned round to face his companion once again.

"You think I don't know that?" he shouted with possibly more acidity in his voice than he intended. Hot tears started to sting at the corners of his eyes as he continued, his voice wavering occasionally, "Face it, Pikachu, I've missed my chance. If I can't pluck up the courage to tell a girl after five years that I love her, then I don't deserve to be with her at all." He turned on his heel and sat on the edge of his bed, his head in his hands.

After a few minutes, he reached over to his desk and picked up the photo of himself and Misty in front of Professor Oak's lab. His eyes scanned the photo from corner to corner, losing himself in the memory that this particular photo emitted.

The day was perfect. Brock had offered to help Delia with the chores, leaving Ash and Misty to go and visit Professor Oak and Ash's Pokémon at the lab. They circled the entire preserve on one of Ash's Tauros, then had a giant picnic with Professor Oak, Tracey and the Pokémon Ash had caught before participating in the Pokémon League. Ash hardly ever got to spend time alone with Misty, but when he did, they both had a truly amazing time simply enjoying each other's company. They didn't fight at all that day either, Ash recalled; it truly was a day to remember.

"Besides," he said to Pikachu, although he was not sure whether or not the electric mouse was still listening, "She probably doesn't feel the same. If I told her my feelings and she didn't return them, she'd laugh right in my face." The tears were cascading down his cheeks at this point, and he made no effort to wipe them away. His heart felt like it was imploding as he was plagued by another emotion; an emotion he had not experienced for over five years:

Loneliness.

Quivering with the fear of being alone, Ash curled up into a foetal position on his bed and cried softly into his pillow. He couldn't begin to describe his desire to have Misty lie with him at this point, cuddling into his chest, and he would wrap his arms around her, kissing her delicately on the forehead, telling her that he would never leave her again. Then she would tilt her head up towards his and they would both share their first kiss, absorbed in each other's love. He recalled their so-called 'perfect moment' at the crossroads before it was interrupted by Brock:

"_Take care, Ash."_

"_You too, Misty."_

"_Will I see you again?"_

A sudden daunting thought occurred to him. What if he never did see her again? His eyes brimmed with tears once again at the very prospect, but he managed to blink them back as he revisited his flashback. At the time, the only thing he thought of saying was:

"_You will. I swear."_

But what did he mean by that, exactly? Was it merely false hope, or a vain attempt at consolation? Whatever the reason behind it, the sound of those words was reassuring to both Ash and Misty, assuring them that this was not the last time they would meet, and maybe, just maybe, Ash would get a second chance at what he failed to do the first time…

Nothing would be the same without Misty – he had understood that from the moment she rode away from him. Unable to picture travelling without her, he considered bringing his Pokémon journey to an end; waiting until he was older before he tackled the League again. However, he thought immediately against this decision. _No, _he thought, _Misty wouldn't want me to quit because of her; in fact, she'd probably beat me up for even suggesting it._ This thought brought a small smile to his lips. He could still travel the world, meeting all kinds of new and exotic Pokémon and compete in a plethora of tournaments and leagues, and perhaps even contests. And when venturing back home in between regions, he would know exactly where to find her.

Ash sniffed and wiped the tears from his eyes, now red and swollen. He brought his fingers up to his lips, kissed them softly and pressed them gently onto the face of the smiling red-headed girl in the photo. He then slipped the photo under his pillow and lay back down facing the ceiling, smiling.

"I'll see her again, Pikachu," he said, still looking at the ceiling, the determined smile plastered on his face, "And when I do, I'll be ready."

Ash decided that the best thing to take his mind off Misty now was to get some sleep, so after changing into his pyjamas, he pulled back the covers and sank into his bed, allowing its warmth and protection to seep into his body.

"I love you, Misty," he whispered as his eyelids snapped shut from sheer exhaustion and heartache, "and I'll miss you so much…"

He wrapped the covers tighter around him, and gradually drifted off into a deep sleep, but not before uttering the words:

"…but we had the best of times."


End file.
